More than 75 percent of call center employees have access to mental health benefits through their employer, but fewer than half have personally used them, according to new research from Lincoln Financial and the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI). The pattern reflects a broader industry problem.
The whitepaper, Putting Mental Well-Being Data to Work: Practical Employer Strategies, draws on a cross-sectional survey of 1,503 US-based call center employees. IBI conducted the survey in March 2025. The study examined mental health, well-being, benefits access, workplace support, and work-life balance, segmented by gender, age, income, job function, industry, and work model.
Call center environments were chosen because they feature conditions associated with high occupational stress: performance monitoring, frequent emotionally demanding customer interactions, and limited autonomy. One in three respondents reported experiencing frequent or chronic stress, and just 18 percent said they rarely feel stressed. While the study focuses on call center workers, the researchers note that the findings and strategies apply broadly across employer populations.
When call center employees who had not used their mental health benefits were asked why, 59 percent said they did not need them. Twenty-six percent cited lack of time. Fifteen percent pointed to stigma.
The self-reported lack of need is the figure worth examining. One in three respondents reported frequent or chronic stress. A majority claiming no need for support suggests a gap between how employees perceive their own condition and what the utilization data implies.
The study does not resolve that tension directly. Only 44 percent of call center employees find current mental health benefits outreach effective, and 32 percent say communications need to improve. Per SHRM's May 2024 guide to mental health benefits, 67 percent of employees are unaware of their company's mental health resources, or only somewhat aware.
For brokers, the communication gap is the more actionable of the two problems. Coverage design can only close the utilization gap so far if employees do not know what they have or do not believe they need it.
The study's demographic breakdowns show where the utilization gap runs deepest. Women report lower overall mental health than men: 70 percent rate their mental health as good or excellent, compared to 83 percent of men. Women are also less comfortable discussing mental health at work, with 34 percent reporting comfort doing so versus 47 percent of men.
Employees ages 18 to 29 used the most mental health days in the past year at 77 percent. That same group reported the lowest levels of supervisor support at 34 percent.
Hybrid workers reported the highest stress levels at 38 percent and the most mental health days taken at 80 percent. Remote workers reported the lowest stress at 25 percent.
The supervisor data points to a specific problem. Seventy-five percent of respondents described their supervisors as consistently available and responsive. Yet only 41 percent felt comfortable discussing mental health with supervisors or human resources, and 28 percent felt uncomfortable or uncertain doing so.
Strong professional relationships, in other words, do not automatically produce the psychological safety that drives benefits use. Employees may trust their managers while still hesitating to raise personal challenges in that context.
Socioeconomic factors show the sharpest access gaps. Access to mental health benefits is 13 percentage points higher among salaried employees than hourly workers.
Workers earning $100,000 or above are more likely to rate their mental health as good or excellent than those earning between $30,000 and $40,000. The gap between the highest and lowest income brackets surveyed was 26.4 percentage points.
For brokers advising employer clients, the Lincoln/IBI findings point to a communication and culture problem rather than a coverage problem.
The study recommends year-round benefits education rather than open-enrollment-only outreach and communications segmented by workforce demographic. Manager training around recognizing mental health challenges and connecting employees with resources is also identified.
The study also identifies what call center workers want from their employers. Sixty-five percent named flexible work hours as their top priority. Forty-eight percent wanted more manageable workloads. Forty-six percent wanted culturally appropriate providers. Forty-four percent cited mental health awareness training.
The IBI separately benchmarks mental health disability duration. Its February data found an average of 53.9 lost workdays per mental health claim. That draws on IBI benchmarking of short-term and long-term disability programs through calendar year 2024. That figure also gives brokers a cost-per-claim reference point when framing the business case for closing the utilization gap with employer clients.
"For more than a decade, Lincoln Financial and IBI have worked together to surface opportunities in the employee benefits space to understand the problem and find practical, meaningful ways to help employees get the support they need," said Joanne Rosa, vice president of National Accounts and Consulting Practice at Lincoln Financial. "Even as employers make meaningful investments in benefits, gaps in awareness, access and comfort using those resources remain."
